North America Weekly Roundup #241

Rockies' Resilience: Despite Closures, Snowbird and Winter Park Defy Odds with Deep Snow Bases

• In North America, despite the closure of some ski areas, the US maintains double-digit open ski centers, with notable incidents like Anchorage's latest-ever snowfall and snow in Hawaii.
• The Rockies witness closures of several ski areas, with Snowbird and Winter Park maintaining deep snow bases and remaining operational, while Mammoth and the Palisades in California plan to extend operations as long as possible.
• Canada prepares for the final weekend of the season, with Sunshine and Whistler Mountain in Alberta and BC respectively, set to close, while Sommet Saint-Sauveur in Quebec reopens for weekend skiing.

NORTH AMERICA INTRO

The US continues to have the most ski areas still open of any country at present, and despite another half-dozen closing last weekend remains in double figures, just. They're spread over six states, half in the Rockies, most of the rest on the West Coast. Temperatures have been climbing after the big snowfalls of just over a week ago. There has been some more snowfall up high but overall the freeze-thaw period has come to an end on most days with temperatures remaining above zero and climbing into the 50s and 60s in the daytime. Among the novelty snowfalls though, Anchorage saw its latest-ever snowfall this week and there was snow up high in Hawaii too. There was some bad news though with America’s only summer-only ski area Beartooth Basin announcing this week that it won’t open saying that there's not enough snow cover this year, but planning to go again in 2025. In sad news, the warming snowpack coupled with the heavy snowfalls earlier this month has led to multiple avalanches with two groups of backcountry skiers and riders being involved in separate incidents in Idaho and Utah, both of which resulted in fatalities. In Canada we've reached the final week of the season for both Banff's Sunshine and Whistler Mountain, both will have closed for 23-24 after their 6-month plus seasons by this time next week. On North America’s East Coast, it's still weekend-only opening of single runs at Killington in Vermont and Sommet St Sauveur in Quebec.

ROCKIES REPORT

Some of the centres that were open a week ago are still going this week, but we have lost Breckenridge (which seems to have given up on the plan it announced some years ago to always stay open through to the end of May), Loveland and Copper Mountain in Colorado, even though the latter managed to open additional terrain for its final weekend. In Utah Brian Head and Solitiude have closed, Brian Head noting it was the longest-ever season in their six decades operating whilst Solitude said they'd clocked up an 181 day season. So five remain, two each in Colorado and Utah, one in Arizona. Snowbird (20/125" / 50/312cm) has about a third of its terrain still open and is reporting the deepest remaining snowbase in the Rockies. Winter Park (24/85” / 60/212cm) has almost half its runs still open on Mary Jane and passed the 400" (approximately 10 metres), seasonal snowfall-to-date mark at the weekend for the first time in more than two decades. There’s also Brighton and Arapahoe Basin (24/74” / 60/173cm), the latter still with more than three-quarters of its slopes skiable and usually remaining open into June and last to close in the Rockies. Arizona Snowbowl is also open, despite its southerly location, at weekends at least, re-opening Friday to Sunday each week.

ROCKIES FORECAST

There’s be some snow showers over the next 24 hours but skies will clear from Thursday and should remain so through the weekend. Temperatures still dropping down below freezing on the highest slopes overnight, into the 50s at resort bases by the afternoons.

USA WEST REPORT

After the big snowfalls and cold temperatures in the first half of last week, it has warmed up significantly over the last seven days and there’s not been the freezing temperatures at night so no more freeze/that. Generally speaking, the snowpack is starting to deteriorate at a faster rate as a result. In California Mammoth and Ther Palisades remain open. The Palisades say that they plan to keep chairlifts and terrain open until they just can't ski it anymore due to snow loss. "With warming temps, KT and Headwall are likely the next to close. We don't have a specific date in mind, but the end is nearing. Get it while you can!" a spokesperson said. The resort is aiming to keep its Siberia, Gold Coast, Shirley, and Granite Chief lifts running through May and hopes to be able to keep some beginner terrain at the top of the Aerial Tram, but that is still to be determined. Elsewhere in the West, you can still ski Timberline (52/162” / 130/405cm), Mt Hood Meadows (160/330cm / and Mt Bachelor (18/96” / 45/239cm) in Oregon. USA WEST FORECAST Overnight lows still touching freezing on the highest slopes overnight but mostly above 35F at all levels all the time now with daytime highs climbing into the 60s in California, and a little cooler in Oregon. Mostly sunny with the chance of storm clouds bubbling up later in the weekend further north.

CANADA

CANADA REPORT

It’s the final weekend of the season coming up for Canada’s surviving ski centres for the 24-25 season, Banff’s Sunshine (40/150cm/ 16/60”) in Alberta and Whistler Mountain (0/195cm / 0/78”) in BC. Sommet Saint-Sauveur (5/35cm / 2/14”) in Quebec is also re-opening Fridays to Sundays with a few kilometres (mile or so) of slopes and terrain park features. The weather has been warmer this week across the west with Whistler seeing daytime highs in the mid-20s. The resort has announced there’ll be no summer ski camps this June and July due to inadequate snow cover on the Blackcomb glacier. The hope is, from the camp organisers at least, that they’ll be back in 2025.

CANADA FORECAST

A mostly warm and sunny end to the week in the west, with temperatures getting into the 20s. What currently looks like a weak front could bring some precipitation, potentially snow up high, for closing weekend.